


Light Me, Light Us

by Moonwevenoom



Category: ONEUS (Band), ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Airbender!Geonhak, Airbender!Youngjo, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, AtLA AU, Friendship, Gen, I'll add more tags as i go, Kyoshi Warriors - Freeform, Lots of dialogue, M/M, Mentions of sick character, Protective Geonhak, Royalty, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, multiple POVs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28630995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonwevenoom/pseuds/Moonwevenoom
Summary: [Book 1: Water]"When the moon shines brightly on meI'll soar up to find you, fly with us"Youngjo finally convinces Geonhak to explore outside the Southern Air Temple, but Geonhak’s starting to regret leaving. He’s used to babysitting the local children, but a grown man? (Not that he’s against it, no, he’s just a little annoyed at how easily he got attached.)
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo & Kim Youngjo | Ravn, Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Son Dongju | Xion
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. Prologue: Fly Me to the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Happy 2nd Anniversary!!!

A lone kite flies in the sky. Youngjo watches as it slowly flutters towards the ground. He has to shade his eyes since the sun has started to set over the mountain. The afternoon breeze has disappeared for the time being. It’s perfect weather for some kite flying. 

“Try to relax your shoulders more,” Geonhak instructs the boy in front of him. He places his hands on his shoulders. “Take deep breaths if you have to.”

Youngjo smiles as the boy, Sun yul, slowly relaxes under Geonhak’s gentle guidance. Sun yul takes a long breath in, then lets it out in one go. 

“Exhale slowly,” Geonhak whispers, moving one hand to pat his back. 

Sun yul follows the steady rhythm.  _ Inhale, 1, 2, 3. Exhale, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  _

“That’s it. Now, remember when there was wind earlier?”

Sun yul nods.

“Try to remember how your kite reacted to the wind. Which direction did the wind come from? Did the strong gusts make it fly longer? 

Sun yul bites his lip in concentration.

While they’re distracted, the kite falls to the ground. Sun yul runs to pick it up and quickly hands it to Geonhak. 

“Let your actions answer for you,” Geonhak hands the kite back to the boy. “I know you can do it.” 

“But...” Sun yul looks unsure for a moment, then shakes his head. “I can do this.” He grabs the kite and runs to the top of the hill. He places the kite on the make-shift stand and sinks into a bending stance. 

Youngjo smiles at the sight. It’s not uncommon for them to spend the whole afternoon at the ‘kite-flying hill’ as Sun yul and many of Geonhak’s students named the training grounds. Usually, there are several children running around trying to claim both Geonhak and Youngjo’s attention. But things have changed, much too quickly for Youngjo’s liking, and nearly half of their members have left the Temple. 

He’s determined to not let Geonhak know why. 

As the oldest of their generation, Youngjo has always felt the pressure to become the best, to carry on the legacy of their ancestors. He’s never been competitive, but many of the elders would vouch for his empathy and talent. He’d always been a wanderer, choosing to be friends with everyone instead of settling with a few people. 

_ Maybe it’s because I hadn’t found the right people yet.  _

He watches fondly as Sun Yul’s perfectly-aimed gust makes the kite fly up into the sky. The boy shouts in victory, returning Geonhak’s high-five. 

“Don’t let it fall now!” Geonhak gestures up at the swirling kite. 

Sun yul struggles to get the kite to stop spinning. Once he does, he sends several streams of air to guide the diamond across the sky. 

“Think of a story,” Geonhak mutters, squinting up at the kite. “Where are they heading? Are they happy? Sad? Playful? Let your kite feed off your emotions, and let all your negative thoughts go.” 

Youngjo chuckles. Geonhak never forgot the first words the older had told him when they started training together. The younger had nearly given up on learning how to airbend. The elders had deemed him a lost cause. He was too emotional, too impatient, too forceful for an airbender. They’d called his earlier airbending a fluke. 

Youngjo had taken him to his secret hiding spot, the kite-flying hill. He’d handed Geonhak a hastily-made kite, a diamond-shaped paper with two sticks glued in a cross, and told him not to give up. 

And Geonhak didn’t give up. Yes, Geonhak might be impatient and easy to anger. But he’s also exceedingly kind, sensitive to others’ needs, and strong in both body and mind. Youngjo couldn’t ask for a better training partner and friend. 

They trained in secret, because Youngjo knew what the others their age said about them. Youngjo himself never showed off his skills and he was content to never reveal the others’ ignorance. 

Especially when they started recruiting people to join the war. 

The Southern Air Temple sits on top of a mountain, mostly isolated from the rest of the world. By the time news of the war had reached them, it was too late. Many Earth kingdom cities had already been taken over or worse, destroyed. The Fire nation was advancing quickly, and they were leaving no benders alive. 

A few men in his generation had tried to convince him to join the fight. He refused. They’d called him a coward and didn’t look back. 

_ Am I the coward for staying to protect my people, or are you the coward for running away?  _ He knows they didn’t leave to join the fight. No one goes to fight a war with a box full of trinkets and other sellable products.  _ Unless they were trying to make money to buy weapons.  _

He’d been agonizing over several choices after their departure. His discussion with the elders hadn’t helped much with his decision. 

_ The Fire nation is heading south. I won’t be able to protect everyone if they make it here.  _

It’s a reality he needs to face soon. He’s one of the strongest airbenders left on the mountain, not to mention Geonhak with his constantly improving skills. If he stays with Geonhak, they’ll have a good chance of protecting everyone, but if the Fire nation comes with the intent of destroying and not negotiating- 

He shudders at the thought.  _ We’ll have nowhere else to go. _

“Youngjo hyung, are you cold? We should probably head in soon.” 

Youngjo startles at the voice next to him. “Oh, yeah.” He catches Sun yul’s pout. “Good job, Sun yul. I saw you make your kite fly up.”

“Yeah!” Sun yul exclaims. “I made it stay up for a whole minute!” 

“And he did it all himself,” Geonhak smiles, ruffling the boy’s hair. “You can stay over for dinner if you’d like.”

“Can we practice more tomorrow?” Sun yul pleads, his eyes shimmering.

Geonhak shakes his head. “Your parents are coming to pick you up tomorrow.”

Sun yul pouts again. 

Youngjo smiles sadly. “You can keep your kite and practice with it. Just make sure no one sees you.”

“Why can’t I show anyone else?” 

_ Shoot.  _ Youngjo bites his lip. He hadn’t meant to let that slip. He knows Sun yul is from a remote Earth village and both his parents are Earth benders. If anything, the boy will be fine regardless of his bending skills. Youngjo kneels down to meet Sun yul’s eyes. “This kite technique we taught you is an ancient craft. Only the chosen ones are able to learn it.”

“Really? So I’m special?” 

“Yes,” Youngjo breathes out. He hates having to take advantage of a child’s innocence.  _ But I’ll do anything to protect him.  _ He doesn’t miss Geonhak’s curious stare. “Let’s go home.” 

Sun yul grabs his left hand and grabs Geonhak’s right. He giggles as he swings his arms between them, letting Geonhak guide them back to their hut. 

~~~~~~~~~~

They don’t have much to prepare, since they only have to heat up the leftovers from the day before. Sun yul helps set the table as Youngjo stirs the soup. Geonhak cuts a few vegetables for a salad. 

Dinner always tends to be quiet with Geonhak. Youngjo knows the younger man is going over the day’s events, trying to file everything away in his memory. Sun yul also seems to be in deep thought, most likely trying to memorize everything he was taught. 

Youngjo chuckles. “You almost look like a real father and son.” 

Geonhak glares at him. Sun yul sneaks a glance at Geonhak before glaring at him too. 

“Sun yul-ah, you shouldn’t glare at your elders,” Youngjo teases, giving him an extra spoonful of carrots. 

Sun yul glances down at the orange cylinders sinking into his bowl. “I like carrots.” 

Youngjo hums. 

“Stop spoiling him,” Geonhak mutters, giving Sun yul a piece of kale.

The boy grimaces. He avoids the green veggies as he expertly fishes out each carrot slice. 

“You’ll need to eat all your veggies if you want to eat dessert,” Youngjo states. 

Sun yul reluctantly picks at the other vegetables in his soup. 

Youngjo watches Geonhak sneakily dropping more kale in the boy’s soup. He sighs. “Stop giving him all your greens. You need to eat them too.” 

“I already ate my daily serving,” Geonhak argues, fishing some kale out and dropping it into Youngjo’s soup. 

Youngjo chuckles. He’s already given up trying to make Geonhak eat vegetables in the conventional way.  _ I’ll just sneak some in when we make dumplings next time. _

“Did the elders mention anything new?” 

Youngjo meets Geonhak’s gaze. “No. They just said a lot of our members decided to travel before winter hits, so we won’t see them for a few weeks.”

Geonhak seems uninterested with the information, but Youngjo can see him slightly tense in his seat. “Are they joining the war?” 

Youngjo sucks in a breath. 

Geonhak continues to hold his gaze. “I know about the war, hyung. They asked me, too.” 

Youngjo lets out a long sigh. “I think they used it as an excuse to escape,” there’s no point in lying now. “The elders didn’t know they left.” 

Geonhak’s eyes widen. 

“Who escaped? What war?” Sun yul asks innocently. 

Youngjo gives him a reassuring smile. “Some of our friends wanted to travel around the Earth kingdom. 

“I want to explore the Fire nation!” 

Both men hold back a wince.  _ Maybe if-  _ when  _ the war ends, we’ll take you on a trip.  _

“Do you want to travel, too?” Youngjo asks softly. He’s asked Geonhak several times, but the answer has always been the same. 

It takes a while for him to answer. “I... Maybe.” 

“Really?” Youngjo encourages. “Where do you want to go?” 

“I want to visit one of the other temples. See if every temple is as strict as here,” Geonhak mutters, grimacing as he chews on a piece of cabbage.

“I heard the Northern Air Temple is stricter,” Youngjo comments. “Sun yul, have you visited the other temples before?” 

“No, my parents didn’t want me to go to the other ones,” Sun yul shakes his head. 

“See? You’re lucky you’re here,” Youngjo smiles. 

Geonhak hides a grin behind his bowl. 

They fall into a comfortable silence with the occasional slurp of soup. Youngjo ponders over what the elders told him earlier that day. 

_ You have to make a decision by tomorrow evening. The Fire nation will be here in two days. Either leave with Geonhak or come with us to the Northern Air Temple.  _

They’d made it sound so easy, like Geonhak was the one asking him to leave with him.  _ How am I going to convince him to leave without raising any suspicions? _

He watches Geonhak sneak a carrot into Sun yul’s bowl.

“Hey Geonhak?”

“Hmmm?” 

“How about we try out a new verse tomorrow night? I heard there’s going to be a full moon,” Youngjo suggests. He takes a long sip of soup to hide his nervousness. 

“Sure. Is this your excuse to go stargazing again?” Geonhak grins. 

“Mmm maybe.” Youngjo hides his own grin behind his bowl. 

After dinner, they huddle under a blanket for warmth, with Sun yul in the middle. The boy giggles as he pokes Geonhak’s thigh with his cold toes. 

“Why is it so cold, even though it’s autumn?” Geonhak complains, pulling the blanket over his neck. 

“And yet you always wake up with the blanket kicked off,” Youngjo laughs, sitting up to throw the fabric over his own feet. 

“It’s hot in the morning,” Geonhak mutters, “and you’re a blanket hog.” 

Youngjo smiles. “What was that? You don’t need the blanket after all?” He grabs the corner and tugs. 

“Stop. We should sleep since we have to wake up early tomorrow.” 

A small hand curls around his fingers. Youngjo looks over to see Sun yul’s eyes closed, his steady breaths fanning over Youngjo’s neck. He hears a snore from his other side. 

“Good night,” he whispers, not expecting a reply.

~~~~~~~~~~

He wakes up an hour earlier than usual. The sun has yet to rise over the mountainside and Geonhak’s soft snores echo around the small hut. 

Most of his things have already been packed inside his shoulder bag. He carefully rifles through its contents, checking to make sure several sets of clothes, his coin bag, and his microphone are inside. 

He grabs the mic and rolls it along his fingertips, feeling the heaviness of it against his palm. The cool metal helps to ease some of his nerves. 

The microphone had been a gift from his mother before he left for the Southern Air Temple. She’d placed it in his hands while his father wasn’t looking and told him to only use it for emergencies. 

He’d almost forgotten about it until he met Geonhak three years later. The two had celebrated their quickly blooming friendship by agreeing to live together in the same hut. Or, more specifically, Youngjo had convinced Geonhak to move into his hut. 

Geonhak had found the mic under a pile of clothes. Youngjo had swiftly taken the mic and hidden it behind his back. He doesn’t know why he felt the need to hide it, he hadn’t even known what it does at the time. 

The younger swore secrecy, if, and only if, Youngjo promised to test the ‘metal weapon’ out with him. Youngjo was forced to agree. 

They quickly found out the ‘weapon’ wasn’t really that dangerous after all. At least, if the user didn’t mean any harm. The round metal head of the mic seemed to concentrate the air he blew into it. The cone-shaped handle had only one switch on the side, to turn the safety on and off. With the safety off, the condensed air would leave the side of the mic in one huge burst. With it on, the air would disperse evenly to create a blanket of sound over his surroundings. 

“It’s like you’re sound bending.” Geonhak had muttered in awe, during their first “open mic” session. 

Since then, Youngjo has nearly perfected his fighting style using the ‘metal weapon,’ able to direct lethal bursts of air at precise targets. And even better, they’d managed to convince his mother to send Geonhak his own microphone. He doesn’t know how she was able to get her hands on more precious metals, but he’s grateful for her help. 

A soft groan shakes him out of his thoughts. He wraps his mic up in a soft towel and pushes it back into his bag. He quickly grabs a few scrolls from his bookshelf and shoves them inside. 

“Good morning.” 

He looks down to see Sun yul rubbing at his eyes. 

“Good morning,” he mutters, holding back a chuckle as Geonhak sits up, his hair sticking out around his ears. 

“Morning.” 

“Are you guys hungry? We have an hour or so before we have to head out,” Youngjo mutters. He ruffles Sun yul’s hair, making the boy giggle softly. 

“I’m okay, but Sun yul should eat. It’s going to be a long trip for him,” Geonhak hides a yawn behind his hand. 

“We didn’t eat dessert yesterday!” Sun yul slides over to Youngjo’s side. 

“Oh yeah, we forgot. But we shouldn’t eat too much sugar first thing in the morning,” Youngjo warns. 

Geonhak rolls his eyes. “The kid barely gets any sugar at home. Let him have dessert.” 

Youngjo laughs as Sun yul’s eyes light up at Geonhak’s words. The older fakes a long sigh. “Alright.” He cuts two large slices from the dried fruit tart he had saved for this occasion. Sun yul waits patiently until Youngjo hands him the plate. 

“Hey, take your time, no one’s going to steal it,” Geonhak laughs as the boy nearly inhales his food. 

Youngjo smiles sadly. Since the start of the war, sweet foods have gotten harder to come by. He’d used the last of their dried fruits to make the fruit tart. 

“Thank you for the food!” Sun yul exclaims, holding out his empty plate to Youngjo. The older takes the plate and stacks it with his own. He notices Geonhak eyeing the barely eaten tart on Youngjo’s plate. 

“Do you want some?” 

Geonhak shakes his head. “I don’t think I’ll ever like sweets, hyung.” 

“Dried fruits aren’t that sweet though?” 

“If anything, they’re  _ more  _ sweet. It’s like concentrated sugar,” Geonhak scrunches his nose. 

Sun yul giggles. 

“You shouldn’t be so picky in front of Sun yul. He’s going to think it’s okay to be a picky eater,” Youngjo teases. 

Geonhak huffs. “He can eat whatever he wants.” 

“Stop spoiling him.”

Sun yul tugs at Youngjo’s hand. “Can we practice kite-flying for a bit?” 

“We have to be at the Temple by sunrise,” Youngjo reminds him. 

“That gives us...” Sun yul counts on his fingers, “twenty minutes!” 

“We need time to travel there too,” Youngjo shakes his head. He bites his lip at Sun yul’s pout. “I guess we can go there on Bbi-yak to save time.”

Geonhak smirks “And who said not to spoil him?” 

Youngjo grins as he allows Sun yul to drag him out of their hut. 

~~~~~~~~~~

They head back to their hut after bidding Sun yul goodbye. Geonhak refuses to admit he cried, but Youngjo saw him wiping away tears as they climbed up onto Bbi-yak’s back. 

“Should we take a nap before we head out?” 

Geonhak gives him a confused look.

“You said we could go stargazing tonight. Are you still up for it?” 

“Oh yeah, my bad. I almost forgot.” Geonhak hums. “I have a new verse I want to try, too.” 

“Rap or singing?” 

“Rap. I only have a few new lines, though.” 

Youngjo pats his back. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

“It looks like a storm’s heading towards the Temple,” Geonhak mutters, stealing a glance behind them. A black fog seems to be traveling up the side of the mountain. 

Youngjo hums, but doesn’t look up from the tattered map in his hands. 

“Is that why you wanted to leave?” Geonhak asks, glancing back at his friend. 

Youngjo finally looks up with a soft smile. “Nope. I’m hoping the clouds will clear by the time the moon has risen.” 

Geonhak frowns. “We don’t need the moon to listen to us sing.” 

“Says the person who craves a larger audience.”

Geonhak’s frown deepens, but he doesn’t argue. 

Youngjo chuckles. “I think we’re flying the wrong way.”

“You said to fly whichever way I wanted. So we’re going this way.” Geonhak tightens his grip on the reins. 

“I don’t think Bbi-yak would appreciate flying over glaciers.” Youngjo pats the flying bison’s side. 

“Oh. My bad.” Geonhak gently pulls on the reins, guiding Bbi-yak back towards the north. 

“Now we’re just heading back home.” 

Geonhak huffs. “You’re the one who-” 

A wall of water nearly crashes into them. Bbi-yak swerves around the wave, earning gentle pats of praise from both men sitting on her back. 

Geonhak watches with wide eyes as they hover over a whirlpool. A perfectly spherical iceberg floats in the middle. “Is that... normal?” 

“No. Bbi-yak, yip yip!” 

“Wha-!”

Bbi-yak only hesitates for a second then dives towards the iceberg. 

“Wait, Bbi, don’t-!” 

A loud rumble fills the air. Geonhak glances back and blanches at the smirk on his best friend’s face. 

“Hyung, I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Hak, just trust me,” Youngjo smiles, continuing to whisper into his weapon of choice. Another slice of air shoots across the ocean, grazing a large chunk off of the iceberg. 

_ Cccraaaackk.  _

“I told you this was a bad idea!” Geonhak pulls on the reins, ignoring Youngjo’s shout of victory. 

“Wait, I think there’s a person in there!” 

“There’s no way anyone survi-” Geonhak stops when he sees a head of hair poking out of the crack. “What the...”

“Let’s go take a look.” 


	2. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Your time as if it stopped  
> Like a crack through the light”

“It’s bigger than I thought,” Geonhak whispers, jumping off of Bbi-yak and slowly settling onto the now flattened iceberg. Youngjo follows him with a large burst of air.

“Sorry,” Youngjo grins, gliding his way to the unconscious boy in the center of the ice. 

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” Geonhak sighs, patting down his hair. He takes a step forward and nearly slips into the water. He sucks in a deep breath and lets it out, creating a small stream of air below him. 

“Hak, he’s alive!” 

Geonhak quickly glides his way to the center. His eyes widen when he finally gets a good look at what- or _who’s_ there. 

“It’s a child.” 

“I think it’s a boy,” Youngjo hums. “He’s-” 

“Mmmmmm.”

Both men startle as two arms shoot out of the growing crack in the ice. 

The boy’s eyes flutter open- _Holy wow he has long eyelashes-_ and Geonhak can’t help but stare at his quivering blue lips. 

The boy narrows his eyes at him, sniffling into his jacket. Ice crystals have frozen on his eyelashes, making them seemingly shimmer in the sunset. 

Geonhak notices the vaguely familiar fuzzy hood surrounding the boy’s head. _Must be from the Water tribe._

“A-are you g-g-going t-to help or j-j-ust-” he’s cut off by a sneeze. And another. 

Geonhak quickly pulls the boy out, dusting off the ice gathered on his shoulders. He takes off his scarf and wraps it around the boy’s neck. 

“We need to get him somewhere warm,” Youngjo mutters, already heading toward Bbi-yak to grab their spare blankets. 

Geonhak hesitates for a moment before cradling the boy’s back. 

“W-wha-!” 

Geonhak wraps an arm around the boy’s knees and lifts. He smiles as the boy hugs his neck, letting him slowly melt into his body heat. 

He’s still shivering when Geonhak settles him down into the blanket cocoon. Youngjo pulls the blankets over the boy’s head and apologizes when he brushes his cold fingers on the boy's neck. 

Youngjo temporarily takes the reins, letting Geonhak keep an eye on the boy. 

“What’s your name?” Geonhak whispers, reaching out to lift a blanket higher. 

He glares at him. “I d-don’t need t-to t-t-tell you any-th-thing,” he stutters, curling further into himself. 

“We just saved you,” Geonhak whispers.

“I d-didn’t need t-to be s-s-saved!” the boy pouts, lifting the blanket over his face. 

“So you wouldn’t mind if we left you on the iceberg?” 

He peeks out from the blankets. 

_Shoot, why is he so cute?_ Geonhak shakes his head and fakes a glare. 

“Y-You were g-going to leave m-me there?” he whispers, eyes widening. 

Geonhak startles. “No! There’s no way you would’ve survived! What makes you think-” 

Loud peals of laughter fill the air. “Y-you- You should’ve s-seen your face- ahaha-hahhaa-” 

Geonhak turns away to hide his heated cheeks. _He’s even cuter when he laughs._

“So what’s your name? And how old are you?” Youngjo asks, smiling back at them. 

Geonhak narrows his eyes at his friend before returning his full attention to the giggling boy. 

“D- Xion. C-call me Xion. And I-I’m t-twenty.” 

“No way,” Geonhak breathes out, ignoring Xion’s glare. “You look like you’re sixteen.” 

“And y-you look like you’re th-thirty,” Xion laughs, revealing his bright pink lips. 

“Looks like you’re warming up a bit,” Youngjo laughs along. “I’m Youngjo by the way. Just turned 25 last week.” 

“Nice to m-meet you Youngjo h-hyung,” Xion smiles. He turns toward Geonhak with an expectant look. 

“Geonhak. Twenty-three.” 

Xion pouts. 

“Did you really think he’s thirty?”

“N-no. I actually thought h-he’s younger than m-me,” Xion continues to pout. 

Geonhak grins. “What, you don’t want to call me hyung?” 

Xion glowers at him. Then sneezes. 

“Hyung, where are we going? We’re heading in the opposite direction from home,” Geonhak mutters, glancing back at the mountains in the distance. 

“I-I’m not g-going anywhere w-with-” 

“I’m heading towards the Southern Water Tribe. We don’t want to keep Xion’s family waiting,” Youngjo replies. 

Geonhak doesn’t miss the flicker of guilt in Xion’s eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~

An infinite swirl of questions loop inside his brain. He vaguely remembers a flurry of waves, much like the blurred memories passing through his mind, and then- darkness. The cold seeps in through his fingertips, threatening to turn him into a glacier again. 

The uncomfortable silence doesn’t help either. After their short interrogation, Youngjo had given him a reassuring smile, while Geonhak snuck nervous glances at him. 

_ Does he expect me to jump off? Or maybe he’s scared I’ll attack him?  _

Xion shuffles closer to the edge of the flying bison, peering down at the ocean. Geonhak’s arms fly up, not in a defensive position like he expected, but more like he’s ready to catch him if he falls. A burst of warmth flutters within his chest. 

_ Shoot, I’ve barely met this guy and he’s already so... protective? I don’t even know what they want.  _

He glances up at Youngjo, who seems content to stay focused on their surroundings. 

“Why w-were you flying over the g-glaciers? It’s d-dangerous to travel here w-when it’s s-so close to winter,” Xion mutters, trying to gauge their reactions. 

“We were stargazing,” Youngjo mutters, finally looking back at them. “Everyone knows the best time to see the stars is during the new moon, and when it’s cold outside.”

Xion nods uncertainly. He only remembers the warnings about going outside during the winter, because they were bound to get stuck in a snowstorm in the dark.  _ Wait, is that why I was frozen in a glacier? Because I got stuck in a snowstorm?  _ His memories have yet to defrost. 

“Seems like you were stuck in a snowstorm yourself,” Geonhak seemingly reads his mind. 

Xion pouts. “I don’t remember what happened.”

“Maybe you’ll remember when we get you back to your family? I’m sure they’re worried about you,” Youngjo whispers. 

A sharp pain makes him wince. He pulls the innermost blanket over his face and takes a deep breath. He holds it for a moment before letting it out slowly.  _ Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something? Something  _ really  _ important, something- _

“I think I see your village!” 

Youngjo’s shout makes him tug down the blankets. He ignores Geonhak’s worried stare as he looks down at the ocean again. Or, not the ocean, since he could see the edge of a large glacier in the distance. Large wooden boats are floating along the coast. 

He curls his hands around his knees. Some of the flags on the boats are singed. He isn’t sure if he wants to see his village, but Youngjo is already leading Bbi-yak down to the familiar coastline.

“They’re... gone.” Xion whispers, collapsing onto the ice.

Geonhak wraps a strong arm around his shoulders, but doesn’t try to move him yet. 

Charred huts fill the snowy plain, with an occasional burnt jacket littering the ground. A pile of snow covers the opening of each hut, making it impossible to see inside. 

“Xion-ah, we should probably-”

Xion stumbles forward through the snow, ignoring Geonhak’s warning calls. “They’re a-alive! Th-they can’t be-” 

“We need to go,” Youngjo meets Geonhak’s gaze, giving him a stern nod. Geonhak quickly lifts Xion into his arms. 

“Stop- Let g-go-!” Xion struggles against his hold. 

“Ow- Did you just bite me?” Geonhak yelps, but tightens his grip around him. He shifts Xion so that his head rests on his shoulder. 

“I need to ch-check if-”

“They’re going to be back,” Youngjo mutters. 

Xion stops struggling. “Who?” 

Geonhak can tell Xion already knows the answer. 

“The Fire nation.” 

He feels Xion shudder against him. 

Youngjo spares a concerned glance at them before jumping up onto Bbi-yak’s back. Geonhak does the same, resettling Xion in his cocoon of blankets. 

“Bbi-yak, yip yip.” 

They take off toward the skies again, heading towards the full moon. 

“I’m sorry,” Geonhak whispers. He lifts his hand to pat his back, but lowers it at the other’s glare. 

“F-for what?” 

“For... your loss?” 

“Who s-says they’re g-gone?” Xion continues to glare. 

Geonhak sighs. “I don’t know if you’ve ever met anyone in the Fire nation, but they usually don’t show any mercy.” 

“I know,” Xion mutters, hiding his face. 

“Then-”

“Xion-ah, do you remember anything from before you got stuck in the iceberg?” Youngjo changes the subject. 

“Mmm, n-no, not really?” Xion tilts his head. 

“So you don’t remember your village being attacked?” 

“No. I was f-fishing with W-Woongie when- Woongie!” Xion exclaims, vibrating in his cocoon. 

“Woongie?”

“I got s-separated from Woongie in the s-storm but- He has t-to be alive! H-he told me if anything happens, to m-meet him at the Northern Water T-Tribe.” 

Youngjo’s eyes widen. “That’s a pretty far ride from here.”

“Yeah, b-but he’s there! He’s d-definitely there!” Xion scoots closer to them. “W-we need to go to the Northern Water T-Tribe!” 

“Nope. Not happening,” Geonhak mutters. “We’re going home once we drop you off at the closest village.” He forces himself not to look at Xion’s dejected expression. _Nope, don’t fall for it- Don’t look-_

“Aww, come on, Hak. Isn’t it time we explored a bit? You’ve never even left the mountains before,” Youngjo mutters. 

“And I never should have,” Geonhak sighs, accidentally glancing back at Xion. _Shit._

Tears are building in Xion’s eyes. He sniffles, quickly wiping them away before they can fall. 

_Awww fuck it- “_ We’ll drop you off there, and that’s it.”

Xion’s face lights up. “You’re going to t-take me to the Northern Water Tribe?” 

Geonhak narrows his eyes. _Was he pretending to cry?_

“That’s the least we can do after waking you up from your deep slumber,” Youngjo chuckles. 

Xion snuggles further into the blankets. Geonhak risks a gentle pat to his head and smiles when Xion nuzzles his cheek against his hand. 

Xion hums softly, tilting his head so that Geonhak’s fingers touch his lips. The older boy watches, mesmerized as pink lips part-

“Ow, ow-!” Geonhak quickly pulls his hand away, glowering at Xion’s smirk. 

“You’re so easy hyung,” Xion laughs, scooting closer to the affronted man. “And I’m hungry.” 

“Looks like we’ll need to take a pit stop soon. I think there’s an island close by,” Youngjo comments, looking over their tattered map. 

“I want cheese rice cakes!!” Xion exclaims.

Youngjo smiles. “We’ll see what we can find.”


	3. BingBing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I keep getting blinded  
> Even as I conceal you, it slips through the cracks”

“So... is Youngjo hyung your brother?” Xion asks, but his eyes never leave the various foods on display. 

“I guess you could call him that,” Geonhak mutters, picking up an orange. He checks the price and hands the merchant double the amount. 

Xion’s eyes widen. “Shouldn’t you be saving money for the trip?” 

“Hyung told me we should have enough for the ride there.” 

Xion looks unconvinced, but gives him a slow nod. 

“What?” 

“How are you going to get back home?” 

Geonhak freezes. He pretends to look over the menu for egg tarts. _Did Youngjo hyung forget about the ride back? But he’s usually prepared for everything... Unless he thinks we’re going to spend a long time at the Northern Water Tribe. I wonder if we can find work there..._

“One cheese tart and two plain ones please!” Xion’s shout breaks him out of his thoughts. 

“Twelve copper pieces,” the merchant states, holding out her hand. 

Xion rummages through his pocket, frowning when he can’t find what he’s looking for. “Ah!” He pulls open his outer coat, shoving his hand in his pants pocket. He pulls out a small cinch bag, smiling as it jingles softly. 

“Twelve copper pieces,” the merchant repeats impatiently.

Xion quickly counts out twelve copper pieces, handing it to the woman. 

The merchant sighs, throwing the coins in a small jar. She stacks three tarts on the excited boy’s hands. “Don’t drop-” She gasps when she sees the newly added copper coins inside her glass jar. “I haven’t seen Water tribe currency in years.” She looks up and her eyes narrow on the blue shirt peeking out of Xion’s outer coat. “You’re-”

Geonhak grabs Xion’s arm, quickly leading him to an empty alley. 

“Hey!” Xion shrugs his hand off. “What was that for?!” 

“You’re the one who said we should stay incognito,” Geonhak whispers, tugging on Xion’s coat to better hide the shirt underneath. “And who knows where a fire nation soldier might be hiding.” 

“I doubt there’s any here,” Xion argues, but pulls his hood down so it covers his bangs. “You should be more worried about yourself.” 

“Y- Ravn hyung and I have nothing to hide,” Geonhak states, pocketing the orange. “He’s just worried someone might think we’re running away from home.” 

“And you’re not?” Xion tilts his head. 

“You- We’re doing this for you and you have the audacity to ask-!”

Xion giggles, shoving a plain egg tart in Geonhak’s hand. “I’m just kidding hyung. Here.”

Geonhak stares at the pastry, then slowly lifts his gaze to Xion’s soft smile. 

“Thanks... for saving me,” Xion mutters, taking a bite out of the cheese tart. 

Geonhak lets a small smile bloom across his lips. He takes a small bite and his nose scrunches. 

“Is it good?” Xion asks, eyeing the tart in Geonhak’s hand. 

The older man holds back a chuckle as he holds the pastry in front of Xion’s lips. Xion doesn’t hesitate, taking a large bite and humming softly. Geonhak continues to hold the tart up. 

“You don’t want it?” 

He doesn’t miss the hint of disappointment in Xion’s voice. “I don’t like sweet things.”

“You should’ve said that earlier!” the younger pouts, trading the plain tart with his half-eaten cheese one. 

“You don’t need to-” 

“I don’t like being indebted to someone,” Xion whispers, pushing the cheese tart towards Geonhak’s mouth. 

Geonhak hesitates, then takes a small bite. He smiles softly as he savors the taste. 

“Is it good?” Xion asks again, gaze trained on Geonhak’s lips. 

Geonhak nods. 

“Yay! Now let’s go find Yo- Ravn hyung!” Xion takes off back toward the stalls. 

“Wait-!” Geonhak runs after him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Youngjo stares at the paper in front of him, willing the headline to change. The front cover shows once familiar huts, now looking suspiciously similar to what they saw at the Southern Water tribe. _I can’t let Geonhak see this._ He shakes his head and walks past the news booth to the food stalls. 

“Cabbages! Buy your cabbages!” A tall man waves a cabbage in his face. 

“I’ll take one,” Youngjo smiles, handing him a few coins.

“Thank you for your patronage!” The man grabs the biggest cabbage, carefully placing it in a paper bag and handing it to him. 

“Thanks.” Youngjo puts it in his shoulder bag. He continues to survey the booths, looking for more preservable foods. 

He ends up buying a variety of dried fruits, pickled vegetables, and wagashi desserts. _Hopefully Xion likes sweets or I’ll have to eat these alone._ He gently places the desserts on top of the jars, closes his bag, and shrugs it over his shoulder. His money bag jingles in his pocket. _We should have enough for the ride there._

He hopes Geonhak hadn’t caught his slip of tongue. He’d meant to say ‘the whole ride back,’ but he didn’t want to lie to his friend. _There’s nowhere to go back to now._ He bites his lip at the thought, but doesn’t let it linger. _I need to keep Geonhak safe. If that means taking him to the other side of the world, then so be it._ He stops in front of a dumpling booth and pays for a dozen vegetable dumplings. A soft chuckle escapes his lips as he remembers Geonhak complaining about vegetables, but happily eating steamed veggie buns and dumplings. _He’s too easy to trick._ He pulls his bag off-

“Thief! Stop him!!” 

A body slams into his, nearly toppling him over. He instinctively blows out a whirl of air, helping him stay on his feet. He sidesteps a green blur of bodies, watching in awe as they swiftly subdue the thief. 

“Is this yours?” 

He looks over to see one of the green-clad warriors holding his bag out to him. 

“Yeah, I- Thanks.” He smiles, receiving his bag. “Didn’t even notice it was gone.” 

“You should be more careful,” the warrior scolds, closing their fan. “The pickpockets are getting bolder these days.” 

“Does it have anything to do with the recent Fire nation attacks?” Youngjo asks casually. 

The warrior’s expression darkens. “I suggest you don’t mention that here.” 

Youngjo feigns confusion. “The Fire nation, or-?”

“Both. Just- You’re not here to cause any trouble right?” 

A fan snaps open in front of him. Youngjo chuckles, “Of course not.” 

The fan closes with another snap. “Good.” The warrior runs back to join the group, shouting orders to take the bound thief back to base. 

_I wonder who they are._ Youngjo watches two warriors lift the thrashing thief and start dragging him away. 

“Ravn hyung!” 

He turns around and smiles at the boy jogging towards him. 

“Xion-ah, did you find any rice cakes?” He meets him in the middle. 

“Nope. But I found some egg tarts!” Xion exclaims, holding out the pastry. 

“Is this for me?” 

Xion nods. 

“Thank you,” Youngjo’s smile widens as he takes a bite. “It’s delicious.” 

Xion beams at him. 

“Xion-ah, you need to stop running off on your own!” Geonhak shouts accusingly. 

Xion grins. “You’re just too slow.” 

Geonhak glares at him. 

Xion’s grin widens as he takes a step closer and pinches Geonhak’s side. 

Geonhak yelps, grabbing Xion’s hand. _Shoot, why is he still cute._ He quickly shifts his attention to Youngjo, ignoring Xion’s pout. “Hyung, did you get everything we need? I don’t want to leave Bbi-yak on her own for too long.” 

“Yeah, we should head out now,” Youngjo nods. 

“I thought we were staying here for the night?” Xion mutters, unconsciously rubbing his thumb over Geonhak’s calloused palm. 

“We should keep moving. We don’t know if it’s safe here or not,” Youngjo states, eyeing the crowd still gathered around the struggling thief. 

“Mmm, okay,” Xion mutters, finally noticing the hand in his. He squeezes twice before letting go. 

Youngjo leads the way back to the forest clearing, smiling at the soft bickering coming from behind him. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Xion-ah, you need to stop running off on your own!” 

He jolts at the familiar name being called, but forces himself to finish his task before taking a look. He tightens the rope around the thief’s ankles until there’s no give, and does the same to the rope around his wrists. 

He looks toward the stalls, but only sees an enthusiastic newspaper boy shoving the daily paper under every passerbys’ nose. 

“Woong, you okay?” 

He looks up to see his teammate giving him a worried look. 

“I’m fine,” he mutters, glancing over his shoulder again. “Just thought I heard someone I know.” 


	4. Crazy & Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh yeah, let me be crazy Yeah  
> Looking at the road don’t miss me ye”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (super belated) Birthday Cya! I meant to post this on his birthday, but I cried too much during the Onewe concerts and life happened lol. Happy reading! ^o^
> 
> Also, please watch this if you haven't seen Xion rap before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akSY0Kpk080

“You can’t sleep either?”

Geonhak jolts and turns to see Xion giving him a tired smile. He stares at Xion’s expression for a bit, then shakes his head. 

“Youngjo hyung told me it’s your first time outside the Temple.” 

Geonhak can hear the teasing lilt in the younger’s voice. He huffs. “You shouldn’t trust everything he says.” He sneaks a glance at Youngjo and sighs when he sees the older’s still asleep. He turns back to Xion and sees him struggling to keep his eyes open. “Why are you still awake?”

“Why are _you_ still awake?” Xion counters. One hand has found its way out of his blanket cocoon and lazily pets Bbi-yak's side. 

Geonhak hesitates. _Should I tell him the truth? Or should I-_

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Xion whispers. He pulls the blanket over his mouth. “I know you don’t fully trust me yet.” 

Something in Geonhak’s chest tightens. _But I do,_ he wants to say. But he can’t. Not yet. And he knows Xion can’t either. “I- I was thinking about the daycare.” 

“Daycare?” Xion tilts his head and scoots closer. 

“Yeah,” Geonhak smiles, remembering one of his students reacting the same way whenever he started story time. “I had to take care of the kids-”

“You have kids?” Xion’s eyes nearly burst out of their sockets. 

“No!” Geonhak laughs. “I took care of them when their parents were traveling.”

“Is that why you never left your house?” Xion grins. 

Geonhak shakes his head. “I just don’t really like...” he trails off, searching Xion’s expression again. 

“I guess I can’t say much since I didn’t really leave my house either,” Xion admits, “I’d rather stay indoors too.” 

He doesn’t miss the flicker of fear in the boy’s eyes. _What is he so afraid of?_ An indescribable urge to hug the younger makes him raise his arms. He quickly lowers them when he sees Xion giving him a weird look. 

“Are you cold, hyung?” Xion whispers, scooting closer. He starts to pull the blanket off his own shoulders. Geonhak stops him with a gentle hand on his knee. 

“You’re still getting over your cold,” Geonhak mutters, “I don’t know _how_ you didn’t get hypothermia after being stuck in an iceberg for who knows how long- Just- keep it.” 

Xion grins, then grabs each corner of the blanket and jumps forward to wrap his arms around Geonhak’s neck.

Geonhak tries to push away the younger's long arms. He chuckles at Xion’s pout and feels warmth spread through his body when Xion drops his head on his shoulder. 

He can’t help sneaking glances into Xion’s eyes, which reflect the billions of stars above them. 

“The moon’s starting to wane,” Xion whispers, catching Geonhak’s gaze. “I was looking forward to the moon festival.” 

“Isn’t that held once a year?”

Xion hums. “Our tribe gathered every month to celebrate the full moon and hope for the safe return of our warriors.”

 _Why didn’t you join the fight?_ Geonhak holds back from asking, because he understands. He himself had chosen to teach instead of joining the war. He knows the struggles of choosing peace over violence and finds a newfound respect welling up for the boy leaning on him. His fingers instinctively reach towards the boy’s head and start carding through his hair. _Wow, his hair’s really soft._

A soft smile blooms across his lips when he notices the younger’s eyes fluttering closed. “Good night,” he whispers, continuing to soothe his fingers through his hair. 

~~~~~~~~~~

He wakes up at an indignant yawn. He slowly sits up, only to realize Xion is glaring at him- _why- oh, he’s glaring at Youngjo hyung._

“This is the worst idea I’ve ever heard,” Xion complains, laying back down. 

“C’mon, Xion-ah. You don’t even need to do anything,” Youngjo appeases, playing with his modified microphone. “Do you have a better way to get past the guards then?”

Xion pouts and shakes his head.

“Did you turn the safety on?” Geonhak whispers, eyeing the bottom of the mic. He hides a yawn behind his hand while sneaking glances at a sleep-ruffled Xion. 

“Yeah,” Youngjo grins. “Don’t want to accidentally take out the whole city.” 

“Since when are you singers? I thought you were airbenders,” Xion mutters, peeking over the blanket to stare at Youngjo’s modified weapon. 

“We write music in our spare time. It helps with training,” Youngjo admits. He raps a random verse into it, grinning as a few clouds disperse below them. 

“You said the safety was on.” Geonhak reaches for the weapon. 

“Hey, you have your own.” Youngjo hides his mic behind his back. 

Geonhak sighs. “ _He_ writes music. I just get dragged into his projects.” 

“Sounds like fun.”

Geonhak meets Xion’s gaze. _He actually looks genuinely interested. Hmmm._

“Are you interested in singing?” Youngjo offers his mic to Xion. 

The younger looks surprised, but sits up and hesitantly takes the weapon. He checks the bottom and clicks the safety on. “I’ve never really sang before,” he mutters, holding it back towards Youngjo. 

“It’s never too late to try,” Youngjo pushes the mic into Xion’s chest. “I can teach you if you want.” 

“I... Okay.” Xion nods, grabbing it with both hands. 

Youngjo grins, scooting closer to the boy. 

“Wait, are you serious?” Geonhak mutters to himself, but he pulls out his own from his bag. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Halt!!” 

A group of guards stop them at the gate. They give Bbi-yak a wary gaze and narrow their eyes at them. 

“State your purpose and provide identification.” A guard points his sword at them.

“We’re just traveling entertainers,” Youngjo smiles, waving his microphone at him. “Would you like us to show you?” 

“Why did you choose Omashu? Why not stay in the fire nation?” a different guard asks, eyeing the trio’s dark brown robes. 

“I told you we should’ve changed into green robes,” Geonhak whispers, fiddling with his mic. 

“We actually just came from Kyoshi Island,” Youngjo replies, tugging at his coat. He reveals a green shirt and pants underneath. “We’ve never been to the fire nation before.” 

Geonhak doesn’t miss Xion averting his gaze. 

The guard still looks unconvinced, but nods. “We’ll allow entrance only if we approve of your skills.” 

Youngjo smirks. “Then I’ll start.” He nods at Geonhak, smirk widening when the track starts. 

The guards lift their swords at the loud music. They quickly lower them in embarrassment when they realize where the beat is coming from. 

“Is this really going to work?” Xion whispers nervously, following Youngjo’s smooth movements with wary eyes. 

“I trust Youngjo,” Geonhak reassures. “Are you still up for-”

“Yes,” Xion mutters, giving him a determined look. “If we’re doing this, then we’re doing it together.”

“O-Okay.” Geonhak startles at the declaration, but feels a shred of anxiety unfurl at Xion’s words. _Right. We’re doing this together._ He startles again when Youngjo starts his rap, but easily falls in with his best friend’s rhythm, joining in when needed. A soft smile blooms across his face when he sees Xion nodding along to the beat. 

“Michyeotta michyeosseo!” He raps, laughing as the guards start bobbing their heads. 

“Michyeotta michyeosseo!” Xion joins in, also laughing. 

Geonhak had forgotten how thrilling it is to just be yourself- To say what you want to say to the world. No filters, no holding back. He’s nearly floating from the euphoria of it all. He catches Youngjo’s gaze, grinning at the fond smile his friend gives him. He finishes his verse with a sharp bow, earning himself a bout of excited applause. 

Xion steals his gaze as the younger shrugs off his coat. He feels a split second of panic, then he remembers they all changed into Earth style clothes on their way to Omashu. _Woah, he looked really good in blue, but he looks good in green too._

Xion meets his gaze and grins. 

_Damn._ Geonhak’s jaw nearly hits the floor as the boy starts rapping. _How- He’s singing so fast what- Has he really never done this before?_ He shivers as goosebumps cover his whole body. He finds Youngjo’s gaze again and chuckles at the older’s proud smile. 

He’s almost late to the combined chorus part. He’s saved by Xion jabbing him in the side. He wants to glare at him, but he can’t help the excited grin as they finish off the song together. 

There’s a beat of silence- Anxiety crawls up his arms and gathers in his chest. Then, applause surrounds them. 

“That was so cool!” A girl tugs on her mother’s hand, trying to get closer to the trio. 

“Encore! Encore!” 

“I’ve never heard this style before. However, I must say, it is very... hip,” an old man comments from behind them. 

“I must agree with everyone. Welcome to Omashu,” the guard bows. The other guards clear the way, allowing them to pass through the gate. 

“See, it wasn’t so hard, was it?” Youngjo grins, patting Bbi-yak’s side. The flying bison snorts, making his hair fluff up. 

Xion giggles. “Hyung, you have horns!” 

Youngjo laughs along with him. He eventually pats his hair down. “So Geo- Leedo, where to first?” 

“I thought you were our guide?” Geonhak mutters, still not fully over Xion’s performance. _How did he go from spitting flame to a bubbly baby in five seconds? Where did that cool personality come from? And I knew his voice was deep, but-_

“Earth to Leedo~ Hey, hyung, Ravn hyung said we should find an inn to stay at first. Hey, are you listening?” 

Geonhak blinks as Xion’s face slides closer. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I- I’m fine,” Geonhak reassures, taking a step back. “I was just- Are you sure you’ve never rapped before?” 

Xion smirks. “You still can’t get over my rap? You and Ravn hyung are the ones who taught me.” 

“Yeah, but that was like- maybe two, three hours?”

“Mmm yeah, Xion-ah, are you sure you haven’t rapped before?” Youngjo joins in. 

“I haven’t. My bro- My friend used to sing a lot. It was more of ballads and slow songs than anything though?” Xion replies, fiddling with Youngjo’s mic. He seems to notice it still in his hands and quickly hands it back to its owner. 

“Well, we definitely need to do that again,” Youngjo acknowledges, smirking as he catches Geonhak’s still dazed expression. 

Geonhak nods, stowing his own mic back in his bag. 

“So, which inn are we staying at?” Xion changes the subject. 

“I’m thinking of finding one that has a bath and free breakfast.”

“They have those?” Xion’s eyes sparkle. 

Youngjo chuckles, “I’m not sure, but I’ll try to find one.”

Xion hooks his arm around Geonhak’s elbow. “Hyung, we should go find more food!” 

“But Ravn hyung already-” 

“Can you buy some bean sprouts and dried mushrooms? Also some seasonings might help with tonight’s dinner,” Youngjo cuts him off. 

“Okay!!” Xion exclaims, pulling Geonhak towards the main street. 

“Be back here by sunset!” Ravn calls after them. 

“Will do!” Xion continues to drag Geonhak away. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“The sun’s starting to set,” Geonhak states, pulling on Xion’s wrist. The younger has his gaze set on a steaming cup of cabbage soup. 

“Hyung-”

“We need to go,” Geonhak tries to pull him away. Xion digs his feet into the ground. He hears a vaguely familiar voice advertising the cabbage soup, but doesn't let his eyes stray from the boy in front of him. 

“We could share one?” Xion suggests, pulling out his coin bag. 

Geonhak sighs. “You won’t be able to eat dinner.” 

Xion pouts and puts his coin bag away. Geonhak ignores his quiet complaints as he drags the younger down the hill. 

“Hyung! We can go down the slides!” 

Geonhak looks toward where Xion points and tries not to laugh. “Xion-ah, those aren’t slides.”

Xion gives him a confused look. “What else would they be then?” 

“They’re delivery chutes. I heard they were used for getting urgent deliveries to the gates,” Geonhak answers, tugging on Xion’s wrist. 

“So they lead to the city gate?” 

“Yeah, that’s what I just-”

He nearly stumbles as Xion hooks his arm around his elbow and drags him to the closest chute. “What-”

“Front or back?” 

“You- what?” Geonhak frowns. _What’s he up to now?_

“Do you want to sit in the front or back? Look, there’s a box we can sit in!” Xion points at a nearby crate. 

“Xion-ah, we’re not going to slide down the chute.”

“Why not?” 

Geonhak avoids Xion’s puppy eyes, staring at the crate. _Can we even fit in there?_

“We’re gonna be late if we don’t slide down!” Xion exclaims, letting go of Geonhak’s arm to grab the box. He tries to lift it onto the chute, huffing as he struggles to get it off the ground. 

Geonhak instinctively grabs the box and places it on the chute. He holds it in place as Xion crawls into it. He shakes his head when Xion pats the space behind him. “I’ll meet you at the bottom.” 

This time, he isn’t able to avoid the full force of Xion’s puppy dog eyes. _Damn it._ His body seemingly moves on its own as he finds himself squeezed into the back of the crate, with his legs on either side of Xion’s thighs. Xion grins back at him, not waiting for an answer as he pushes them off the hill. 

He lets out a soft yelp as gravity takes over. His stomach twists at the initial drop, but it quickly reminds him of when he’d first started taking Bbi-yak on short rides around the gardens. 

Xion raises his arms, his excited yells getting lost in the wind whooshing past their ears. Geonhak also raises one arm, keeping the other wrapped tightly around Xion’s shoulders. He makes sure they stay on the half-destroyed track, subtly blowing air whenever they start to slide off course. 

"AAaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!"

Geonhak tightens his arms around Xion's shoulders, smirking when the younger leans against his chest. 

They make it back to the gates in record time. Xion is still a little winded as they find Youngjo waving at them in the crowd. 

“What happened? Why does it look like you two went through a tornado?” Youngjo worriedly pats down Geonhak and Xion’s wind-ruffled hair. 

“We got the things you asked for!” Xion ignores Youngjo’s questions, though he leans into the older’s touch. “But Leedo hyung wouldn’t get me cabbage soup,” he pouts. 

“I’ll make you some when we get back to the inn,” Youngjo promises. “I found one with a small kitchen and bath.” 

Xion’s eyes sparkle at the mention of a bath. “Hyung, let’s go, let’s go!” He takes off toward the main street. 

“It’s the other way!” Youngjo chuckles, motioning towards the less populated streets. Xion runs back and dutifully follows after the oldest. 

Geonhak hides a smile as Youngjo gently takes the bag he’s holding and swings it over his own shoulder. 

“Wow, this is heavy. What did you guys buy?” 

His smile widens as Xion starts excitedly listing all the interesting things they found on their search for bean sprouts. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Myeong, it’s been two years. You need to-” 

“Giwook. I know this is going to sound crazy, but-”

“No. We’ve looked everywhere for him. If you don’t stop now, your father’s going to use force, and that never ends well,” Giwook argues, placing both hands on Dongmyeong’s shoulders. 

Dongmyeong scoffs. “Father’s never said no to me.” 

“That’s because-” Giwook bites his lip. “Just- trust me Myeong. If Dongju hyung wanted to be found then he’d already-”

“What if he was kidnapped? Or he’s stranded somewhere?” Dongmyeong throws his hands up, forcing Giwook to drop his own. “What if he’s waiting for me to save him?” He whispers the last part, eyes watering. 

Giwook sighs. “Dongju hyung’s smart. He would never willingly-”

“What if he was taken against his will?” Dongmyeong continues. “What if he’s trapped somewhere and he’s barely alive? What if-”

“Myeong,” Giwook stops him before he starts to panic. “We’ve talked about this. Dongju hyung might not be a bender, but he’s strong. He can take care of himself.”

“I know he’s strong-”

“So you want to argue about non-benders being weaker than benders again?” Giwook teases, but there’s a hint of disappointment in his eyes. 

“No! I’ve never thought that and I never will!” Dongmyeong yells, grabbing Giwook’s hands. “It’s just... It hurts. I know Dongju felt like he had something to prove, but he didn’t. And if he left because he felt excluded then...” 

“I don’t think that’s the reason,” Giwook mutters, squeezing the older boy’s hands. “If anything, you should’ve felt the most excluded since we’re non-benders.” 

“But father started talking about the next heir and-” 

“Dongju hyung agreed you’ll be the heir. He told me a month before he left.” 

Dongmyeong rubs his thumb over Giwook’s ring. He traces the fire nation emblem, finding comfort in the familiar insignia. “Then why did he leave?” 

“I... don’t know.” Giwook sighs, pulling him into his arms. “But I know it’s not your fault.”

“What if it is?” Dongmyeong’s voice is muffled against the younger’s chest. 

Giwook holds him tighter. “Then you’ll just have to apologize and make things right again.”

A messenger hawk flies in through the window, landing on its designated perch near Dongmyeong’s desk. They slowly pull apart, exchanging nervous glances as Dongmyeong scrambles to untie the small scroll attached to the hawk’s leg. 

Dongmyeong quickly unfurls the scroll, freezing when a familiar name catches his eye. 

“Myeong, what’s wrong?” Giwook leans his head on Dongmyeong’s shoulder. 

“Hyungu found him,” the older boy whispers, still in disbelief. “He found Dongju.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anything is ever confusing, please let me know! I tend to make things mysterious until the very end, so I'll try to answer without spoiling anything ^o^ 
> 
> Also, please watch this vid of Cya rapping with his hyungs, because I really just love this vid thanks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHiohgZaD8Q


	5. Incomplete

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I have to overcome the weight of the crown  
> Get hurt, endure and repeat...  
> It’s okay if it’s not perfect  
> My life is incomplete”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I added a lot more context to the first few chapters, so please reread them if you haven't already! Thanks so much, and enjoy! ^o^

He sneaks out at dawn, following the savory scent of cabbage soup. He doesn’t know how the smell made it into their inn from the top of the hill. He finds his answer when a cart full of cabbages greets him from across the road. 

Youngjo had tried to make cabbage soup for them last night, but Xion had quickly learned that the oldest wasn’t a very good cook. Geonhak had somehow managed to make the soup edible, but it was still a lot saltier than any of them were used to. He’d been craving something sweet- or anything to soothe the salty taste still in his mouth. 

“Fresh cabbage soup! Fulfill your breakfast with some steaming hot soup! You can add some meat for only one bronze coin!” a tall man yells into the street. A few people turn toward him, almost entering a trance as they now recognize where the heavenly smell is coming from. By the time Xion makes it across the road, a large crowd surrounds the excited cabbage cart owner. 

“Two soups with meat!”

“I want three!” 

“Hand me one here!” 

Xion watches the man struggle for a bit before sighing and walking closer. “Stop yelling at him! Don’t you all know how to make a line?” He motions for everyone to stand in a curved line so as not to interrupt the foot traffic. He hears a few complaints, but ignores them when he sees the cabbage man give him a grateful smile. He smiles back and gets in the back of the line. 

“Hey, are you the singer from yesterday?” 

He looks behind him to see a young girl poking him in the back. 

“I’m not a singer, no,” he answers honestly. He’s about to turn around when another girl tugs on his sleeve. 

“You’re definitely one of the Crazy trio!” the girl curls her hand around his wrist.

Xion smiles.  _ Crazy trio? Is that what we’re being called?  _

A few people in line turn at her shout and Xion holds back the urge to pull on his hood.  _ So much for staying incognito.  _ He blanches when he remembers their performance yesterday.  _ Shoot, I wasn’t wearing my hood yesterday either. If anyone noticed me...  _ He ignores the rising whispers around him as he slides out of line and sprints away from the crowd. He doesn’t stop until he doesn’t know where he is anymore. 

_ Okay, now I’m lost.  _ He’s surprised to find that he’s not as scared as he thought he would be. There’s a scarily familiar voice scolding him in the back of his mind, while the other reassures him that everything will be fine. 

There isn’t much to see on this side of the city, but the quiet atmosphere soothes his nerves. All the excitement of yesterday hasn’t faded yet. He hadn’t meant to reveal his face, and certainly not his voice. It had felt terrifyingly thrilling though. He doesn’t remember the last time he just let himself loose. 

_ Youngjo hyung was in his element. Geonhakie hyung’s smile was so handsome. And his voice, wow.  _ He remembers being shocked at the duality of the older’s voice. His speaking voice was low, but his rap- and his singing voice- He blushes as he remembers their one-on-one rapping practice. Youngjo hyung had volunteered to go over inventory while Geonhak continued to teach him. He’d never felt so frustrated, yet contented in his life. Geonhak was stubborn, but surprisingly good at teaching.  _ Of course, he takes care of little kids in his spare time. If he wasn’t a good teacher, I’d question all the elders at his Temple.  _

Xion stops at an intersection. He looks both ways and decides to follow an apple cart down the hill, hoping it will lead him back to the main gate. 

_I wonder if hyung has a-_ _No. I can’t get too attached. It won’t be good for him and definitely won’t be good for me._ He shakes his head as he continues down the well-trodden path. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“What did I say about running off on your own.” 

Xion grins as he turns around to see a worried Geonhak. His grin wavers for only a second as the older strides toward him with an exaggerated frown. 

“At least he knows where to meet us,” Youngjo appeases, patting Xion’s back. “Do you have any plans for today?” He gives the younger two a smile. 

Geonhak shakes his head. 

“Nope! But I want to go on the slides again!” Xion exclaims, grabbing Geonhak’s arm. 

“Slides? Youngjo raises his eyebrows at them. 

“Xion-ah, I told you they aren’t slides. And I think we should avoid the main streets since people are starting to recognize us,” Geonhak whispers the last bit, glaring wearily at the passerby who keep giving them second glances. 

“How about visiting the palace? I heard Omashu is known for their beautiful three-story palace,” Youngjo suggests, already making his way up the hill. 

Xion noticeably hesitates. 

Geonhak follows his gaze and sighs. “I’m not carrying you up the hill again.”

“Again?” Youngjo grins. 

“If I walk up the hill by myself, will you ride on the slide with me?” Xion pleads. Geonhak avoids his gaze and shakes his head. 

“Ravn hyung, will you join me on the slide?” Xion turns to the eldest. 

“Sure, Xion-ah,” Youngjo smiles softly at him. His smile turns sly when he sees Geonhak glaring. “I have a feeling Doya will change his mind when we get to the top.” 

Geonhak glares harder, but allows Xion to pull him up the hill. 

~~~~~~~~~~

He’s lost.  _ Again.  _

He has his hood pulled up as he roams from booth to booth, searching for two familiar faces. 

_ It’s not my fault they walked away without me.  _ A jewelry booth had caught his eye, especially the blue and silver bracelets on display. He was tempted to buy one, then he’d noticed his hyungs had left him behind. A burst of panic went through him, then quiet acceptance.  _ Wow, I really shouldn’t get used to being lost.  _

“Ah, I never thought I’d see you here.” 

Another burst of panic flows through him. He forces himself to turn around. 

Familiar red robes adorn a slim yet fit body. He isn’t sure how long it’s been since he’s seen him.  _ Woah, he gained some muscle.  _

“We’ve been looking for you.” Hyungu takes a step closer. 

Xion steps back, giving him a confused look. “Do I know you?” 

Hyungu hesitates. His smile doesn’t fade, but his eyes flicker with various emotions. Xion recognizes a few.  _ Worry. Disappointment. Sorrow. _

“You’re... Dongju right?” Hyungu mutters, almost like he’s talking to a scared dog. 

Xion bristles. “Who’s Dongju?” 

Hyungu bites his lip. “You don’t remember who you are?” 

“I think you have the wrong person,” Xion deadpans. He turns to walk away.

A hand grabs his wrist. “Dongju, please. We’ve been searching for two years. Dongmyeong needs you.” 

Hyungu’s plea hits him like a snowball to the face.  _ Two years? Dongmyeong needs me?  _ If this is the older’s attempt at making him drop his facade, it’s working.  _ Hyungu’s always been good with words. But I can’t let him catch me.  _

His resolve strengthens as he remembers why he left the Fire nation.  _ They’re better off without me. I can’t go back.  _ He shakes Hyungu’s hand off. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” 

“We can talk at the palace.” Hyungu motions toward the top of the steps. 

Dongju looks up, eyes widening when he sees a black and red building at the top of the hill. “Who are you?” Dongju jumps back, ignoring Hyungu’s frown. 

“Kang Hyungu. I’m the general’s son.” Hyungu answers, bowing politely. 

Dongju hesitantly reclines his head. “Why are you out here?” His gaze flickers around the busy road. People are starting to give them curious looks. 

“I always go on a morning stroll to buy cabbage soup for breakfast. Would you like to join me?” Hyungu motions toward the other side of the road. 

Xion shakes his head. “I would love to, but I must decline your offer. I have a few things I must buy at the market.” He bows again.

“No need to be formal, Prince Dongju,” Hyungu chuckles. “Have you eaten breakfast? It doesn’t need to be cabbage soup.” 

“I already ate,” Xion lies. “Do you know where they sell desserts?” 

“Yeah, I think it’s farther up the hill.” Hyungu seems reluctant to let him go. “Hey, how long are you staying in Omashu?” 

“I’m not sure,” Xion shrugs. 

“Are you here alone?” Hyungu raises a brow. 

“No.” Xion pretends to look anxious. “They might be looking for me.” 

“I’ll help you-” 

“Hyungu-sshi. Your father requests your presence at the palace.” A Fire nation soldier runs up to them. 

Xion pulls his hood over his eyes and makes a run for it. He feels a slight pang of guilt when he glances back to see Hyungu’s panicked eyes searching for him in the crowd. 

_ It’s better this way.  _

He almost trips over someone’s foot. A strong grip makes sure he doesn’t fall on his face. 

“Watch where you’re-” 

Xion meets Geonhak’s glare. “Oops, sorry.” 

He’s surprised when he’s pulled into a gentle embrace. “I found you.” He shivers as Geonhak’s breath tickles his ears. He tries to push him away, but the taller man doesn't let him. 

“Why do you keep running away?” 

Xion pouts. “You left me behind.” 

“Oh. I- sorry.” 

Xion smiles at Geonhak’s stuttered mumble.  _ Cute.  _ He shakes his head.  _ No, no, no not cute. I did not just think a grown man with a deep voice is cute, nope- _

“Hey, are you okay?” Geonhak’s arms tighten around him. 

He doesn’t realize he’s shaking until he wraps his own trembling arms around Geonhak’s waist. “I- I’m okay now.” 

He feels himself relaxing against Geonhak’s chest. Something about his presence makes him feel calm, like a soft blanket surrounding his whole body with warmth. Meeting Hyungu had stirred up more emotions than he’d felt in a long time. He’d almost doubted himself for a moment, but being surrounded by Geonhak’s arms makes him feel safe. Peaceful.  _ Loved.  _ He blushes at the last thought and pushes Geonhak away.  _ It’s too early for this.  _

“Where’s Ravn hyung?” Xion ignores the worry in Geonhak’s eyes. 

“He went back to the inn, in case you’d found your way back. I didn’t realize you were so close.” Geonhak keeps a gentle grip on his forearms. 

“I’m not going to run away,” Xion mutters, pulling one arm out of his grip. 

Geonhak doesn’t look convinced. If anything, he looks more concerned. “Are you really okay?” 

“Yeah,” Xion breathes out, sliding his hand until it fits into Geonhak’s palm. “I haven’t had breakfast yet. Do you want to buy some cabbage soup?” 

Geonhak sighs. “Do I have a choice?” 

“Nope!” Xion drags him toward the cabbage stand.

~~~~~~~~~~

By the time they make it back to the inn, he’s shivering. Geonhak had given him his jacket while they quickly slurped down their soup. They felt a little too guilty to go back to their room with the soup in hand, but the growing whispers around them made them feel anxious. Or, at least Xion was starting to feel less comfortable in the public eye. 

“Xion-ah, let me feel your forehead,” Youngjo walks up to them. Xion obediently lets Youngjo lay a palm on his head. 

Youngjo hums. “Feels a little warm. Let’s get you some medicine.” He rummages through his bag and pulls out a few dried leaves. He pours some hot water in a tea cup and steeps the herbs. 

Xion grimaces at the bitter smell. 

“Don’t worry, it tastes better than it smells,” Youngjo hands the cup to him. 

Xion stares at the leaves floating in the water. One of them twirls straight up, like a swirling stick of candy. He smiles.  _ If only I had such luck earlier today.  _ He usually isn’t superstitious, but his mind is muddled and the unsettling feeling after meeting Hyungu hasn’t left his chest. He takes small sips under the olders' watchful gazes.

“You should rest. I think traveling around has made your illness return.” Youngjo gestures toward the two blankets already folded so that Xion can slip in bed. Xion slides under the blankets, smiling when Geonhak silently tucks him in. He feels a cool hand on his cheek. 

“Are you sure we shouldn’t take him to a doctor?” Geonhak whispers next to him. 

“I think he just needs some rest. All the excitement from yesterday probably hasn’t worn off yet.”

“About that...” Geonhak trails off. Xion can almost feel his gaze on him. “I don’t know if yesterday was a good idea. I think we should leave before we get caught.” 

“No one knows we’re airbenders, Hak.” 

“How do you know?” 

“If they did, we’d have soldiers coming to find us already,” Youngjo whispers. 

Xion hears a soft clinking sound and thinks the oldest must be cleaning up his empty tea cup. 

“So you noticed?” 

Youngjo sighs. “It’s hard not to notice the palace at the top of the hill. I’m surprised they don’t have Fire nation soldiers guarding the front gate.” 

“Probably to give them a false sense of security, then catch them before they realize they’re in enemy territory,” Geonhak’s teeth grind together. 

“Is that what you’re worried about? Getting caught?” 

“No.” 

Xion is surprised at the honest certainty in Geonhak’s voice. 

“Then what are you worried about?”

“I saw Xion-ah talking to a Fire nation soldier.”

Xion bites his tongue.  _ Shoot. _

“You think he might be-?”

“No. The soldier was trying to drag him somewhere. I’m scared- What if- Xion might be in danger because of us.” 

Xion lets out a slow breath.  _ How is this man real?  _

Silence fills the room. Xion tries to keep his breathing even. He feels Geonhak leave his side and walk closer to Youngjo.

“We’ll leave when Xion wakes up. We need to leave at night so they don’t see Bbi-yak.” 

“Oh shit, Bbi-yak,” Geonhak gasps. 

“What-”

“It’s so obvious, hyung. How did we miss it?” Geonhak sounds panicked. 

“Calm down, Hak-”

“She’s a flying bison. The only place you can find a flying bison is...” He trails off. 

“ _ Shit.”  _

Xion’s never heard Youngjo swear before. It sounds unnatural coming from the usually calm man’s mouth. 

“We should still leave at night. I’m scared to move Xion when he has a fever.” 

“But the soldier-”

“-doesn’t know where we are. A few hours will give Xion time to rest and time for us to plan,” Youngjo states firmly. 

Xion holds back an approving hum.  _ I need to plan things too.  _ He knows it’s dangerous not to tell them the truth behind the "Fire nation soldier’s" attempt to drag him away but- He can’t. He doesn’t know who to trust- Who he can talk to-

Hyungu’s worried face flashes through his mind. In all honesty, he’d wanted to jump into Hyungu’s arms, cry into his chest, and tell him everything that happened in the past year-  _ or two years?-  _ he’d spent away from home.  _ No, not home. I ran away from there. _

Hyungu had always been his favorite hyung, the one he went to when everything seemed to be falling apart. He had even debated telling the older about his secret, but ended up running away before he could. And now that he’s found him, he doesn’t know if he should be scared or elated. He doesn’t want to go back. He’s too scared to face Dongmyeong-

_ Dongmyeong. Hyungu’s going to tell Dongmyeong- He probably already has. If his twin finds him-  _

He bites the edge of the blanket, trying to quell his anxiety. He shifts until his face is fully covered by the outer blanket. 

_ I can’t let him find me.  _ He chews on the fabric, willing himself to fall into a fitful sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize it's almost been a month, wow. I've changed the direction of this story several times already, esp since I realized I really like writing in Dongju's POV. I tried not to make it too angsty, but I couldn't resist :)   
> Again, please reread the first chapter if you haven't already. I added a lot more background for Geonhak & Youngjo, so hopefully things make more sense now. ^o^

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try updating every week (key word being try lol). I'll follow the main ATLA plot to an extent, but there will definitely be a lot of tangents and extra world-building going on in between ^o^
> 
> Dedicated to my bestie, who helped me come up with the plot and everyone's backgrounds. <3 
> 
> Reference for English lyrics: https://lyricstranslate.com/
> 
> (Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or have any association with ONEUS. This work is completely fictional and is only for entertainment purposes. Thanks so much for reading!!!)


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